Production of textile threads



Jan. 10, 1939. -K. F. SEIM PRODUCTION OF TEXTILE THREADQ Filed Aug. 11, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet ,l

Jnvehtor. ,4, xi

Jan. 10, 1939. K. F. SEIM 2,143,230

PRODUCTION OF TEXTILE THREADS Filed Aug. 11, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 F i g5.

\Jnventon i K. F. SEIM PRODUCTION OF TEXTILE THREADS 'Jan. 15; 1939.

3 Sheets-$heef 3 Filed Aug. 11, 1936' ZIWI/Idu Jnventor.

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PRUDHJCTKON OF TEXT READS rl Franz Seim, Dresden, Germany, assignor of one-hall to 'llheodor Lowenberg, Berlin, Germany The object of the invention as covered by the annexed claims is to provide a device by means of which the textile threads taken from spools, reels,

, cops, or other means are looped and then wound up again. Looping of threads is generally known in. knitting and linking machines which, however, are intended for producing goods and not threads, and the final product made by the new device is therefore not a fabric consisting of looped structures but the looped thread itself. There are also devices known for working looped textile threads into braids, but such machines operate at a very slow speed and are exclusively intended for producing goods.

The invention realizes for the first time the great advantages afforded by the industrial production of looped threads and further takes into consideration that economical production of such looped threads is possible only if the emciency of 2d the machine involved can be increased to such an extent that the cost of producing looped threads is approximately the same as that of the other textile threads now on the market.

The invention complies with these requirements by insuring feeding and withdrawing of the thread in a manner permitting safe working even at 5,000 to 8,000 operations per minute. According to the invention, the thread coming from spools, reels, cops, or other means is obliquely de- 3o livered to the needle by a fixed or movable thread guide and on the other side of the reciprocating needle is taken up as finished looped thread in such manner that the oncoming thread is al-' 45 safe working at 5,000 to 6,000 operaions per minute and over is insured. The thread is withdrawn by an elastically acting device without interposed elements, such as friction rollers, etc., which winds up the finished looped thread on 50 spools, cops, or other means. Winding up is ei' ,fected similarly as in winding frames, spinning or twisting machines, and arrangements may also he made ior parallel or crosswise laying.

The looping mechanism comprises a barbed or 55 latch needle sliding to and fro in a slotted guide.

In front of the needle guide a thread guide is provided which in the embodiment shown carries out a swinging or oscillating motion.

Below theneedle guide a stripper member is providediwhich is of angular shape and whose vertex facing the take-up is located laterally of the needle guide. The thread is obliquely fed to the needle by the thread guide and after being looped passed over the vertex of the stripper member to the take-up. The stripper member fulfills about the same function as a needle plate in a sewing machine, the notch in the needle plate ggrresponding to the angle of the stripper mem- Besides the stripper member, a slip-off member is interposed betweenthe stripper member and the take-up to assist the thread guide and stripper member in insuring oblique positioning of the thread. The slip-off member serves, above all, however, for taking care that looping is not exposed to the direct pull of the winding device, and for this reason can be adjusted according to thickness and quality of the thread. The less durable the material to be worked the steeper must be the withdrawal of the thread from the vertex of the slip-oil member. The stiffer the material the more obliquely must the looped thread be withdrawn from the vertex of the slipoff member.

Looping threads according to the new method is of particular importance when natural raw ma terials are worked together with synthetic ones. Such mixed threads like wollstra, recently originated in Germany, are of great economic importance, as they possess the advantages of nat ural raw materials, are combined with synthetic products that need not be imported and can be spun and twisted. The only objection is that {or economic reasons larger quantities of yarn must be produced in one operation, whereas the new method permits also the working of small and smallest lots in an economical manner.

Apart from the fact that synthetic yarns owing to their short and smooth fibers cannot be twisted in many instances, they require also preparatory operations like winding together, cabling, etc. when twisted, which can be dispensed with under the new process. Furthermore, no special types of bobbins for working the ground threads and winding the finished threads are needed.

Compared with twisting, the new method aflords the added advantage of preventing overturning of the looped threads even when loosely worked, while, on the other hand, a plurality of threads of equal and different thickness, type and color may be simultaneously worked together exactly as in twisting. The eilect of the thread structure in the goods themselves will be much better and more varied than that brought about by twisting and might resemble for instance a snake-skin.

Threads treated according to the new method do not felt and become entangled even, when reeled and wound up and do not unravel like artificial silk. Furthermore, threads that have been stored for a long time and are very dry can be worked without the least trouble just like different lots produced at different times. Looped and tied threads can further be easily and almost invisibly knotted in a durable manner without any risk of automatically becoming untied, the type of knot and whether made by hand or mechanically being immaterial. The troublesome formation of ladders in case of smooth threads like artificial silk ones is prevented by a looped thread owing to its structure and is possible only under excessive stress and by the application of force.

Threads made according to the new method can be readily, and in many instances even advantageously, used as fancy and embroidery yarn,

sewing thread, etc. Knops, knots, and similar efiects in regular or irregular patterns can be produced with the aid of special devices and without any risk of dissolution of the ground and fancy threads as in case of twisted threads. The devices required for carrying out the process can be constructed so as to permit direct connection to thread-producing or -working machines, or be arranged singly or in series for separate operation.

By way of example, devices for carrying out the method according to the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the total arrangement;

Figs. 2 to 4 are, respectively, a side view, front view and top view of the needle guide;

Figs. 5 to show various positions of the thread guide during looping in perspective; and

Figs. 11 to 16 indicate the corresponding needle positions.

Referring to the drawings, the thread 2 coming from a bobbin i or from a cop, reel, or other supplying means is fed through a thread brake s and an eye i to the eye 5 of the thread guide 8. The curved thread guide 5 is detachably coni nected by a nut l or other suitable means with the shaft 8 and carries out a swinging motion about the middle axis thereof, so that the thread passed through the eye 5 of the guide 6 is safely positioned in the needle 9 even at maximum ispeed. The needle 9 may be of the latch or spring type or of special construction and is detachably connected with a reciprocating shaft ll by a nut id or other means. The shaft 8 carries a pin 82 which engages a groove is of the cam disc it, which disc may also be of other suitable type, and a pin i5 secured to the shaft it engages a second groove it on the disc i l. The driving shaft ll of the disc it is provided with a. keyed-on belt pulle; i8 preferably connected with the disc U By means of the suitably constructed grooves i3 and it the thread coming out of the eye 5 of the thread guide 6 is placed in the needle and looped. The front portion oi. the needle is guided in a slot 28 or" the needle guide 2! provided with the member 49. On the front side of the needle amaeao guide 2i below the slot 20 a stripper member 22 is arranged between which and the guide 2! the looped thread is taken up by a roller 24 over the slip-off member 23. The take-up roller 26 is rotatably disposed around a shaft 25 to which a belt pulley 26 is keyed. A cord 21 passes over the pulleys 26 and 18.

The take-up is preferably arranged so as to be able to swing about a pin 28 and loaded by an adjustable weight 29. According'to the properties of the thread to be used, more or less pull can be imparted to the cord 2! by adjusting the weight 29 and thus more or less tension to the drawn of! and looped thread 30. correspondingly, the pressure of the thread brake 3 can be regulated. It is further possible laterally and vertically to displace the eye 4, normally located in the plane of the needle, according to the properties of the thread to be worked.

The stripper member 22 on the needle guide 2| extends with its portion 3| at first approximately in horizontal direction, then with its portion 32 downwardly beyond the center of the needle and guided upwardly again with its portion 33 so as to closely abut against the needle guide 2i with its edge 34. The free end 35 is bent away from the needle guide 2! to facilitate threading when operation begins.

Above the take-up an automatic thread feeder is provided through the eye 36 of which the looped thread is guided. The eye 36 is positioned at the free end of a lever 38 movable about a pin '31 and receiving the necessary to and fro motion from the control bar 39. The latter is driven by an adjustable curved piece, eccentric, etc., not shown. The lever 38 is connected with the control bar 39 by a pin 40 preferably sliding in a longitudinal slot.

Fig. 5 shows the position of the thread feeder.

The thread guide is not yet in its end position, and the needle, according to Fig. 11, is fully advanced. Figs. 6 and 12 show the position of the thread feed with the thread guide in extreme left position and starting to move to the right in the direction of the arrow. The corresponding position of the needle is shown in Fig. 12, the mesh on the needle closing the latch. In the position according to Figs. 7 and 13 the thread is knocked 01?, the thread guide being approximately in middle position. Figs. 8 and 14 show the tying of the thread. After the thread has been knocked off according to Fig. 13 tying is brought about by the pull imparted to the thread by the thread guide on moving to the right. Figs. 9 and 15 illustrate the take-up when the pull imparted to the thread by the further motion of the thread guide is compensated by the re-advance of the needle according to Fig. 15. In this way, any variation of the tied mesh is avoided. Figs. 10 and 16 show the thread feed in intermediate position which is completed when the positions ac cording to Figs. 5 and 11 are reached.

Corresponding to the properties of the thread to be worked, it is further possible to impart to the thread guide 6, which normally has a uniform stroke towards both sides, a. greater or lesser turn to one side by setting the screw 1. the grooves I3 and it may be arranged on two different discs adjustable relative to one another so as to vary at will the relative motions of the thread guide 6 and the needle 9.

I clairn:

1. Device for producing looped textile threads, comprising, in combination, a reciprocating needle, a crank gear for the drive of the needle,

Furthermore,

a slotted guide for the needle, thread supplyingmeans, a thread guide for passing the thread coming from the supplying means obliquely to the needle for looping, means arranged below the needle guide and possessing a guiding member, and an elastically acting take-up adapted to withdraw the thread obliquely fed to the needle after the looping operation over and beyond the guiding member.

2. Device according to claim 1, in which the needle has a hook and the thread guide carries out an oscillating motion and in which driving means for the thread guide are provided, the thread guide being controlled so that at the moment of positioning the thread is passed to the guiding member obliquely to the needle and the oncoming thread is always located transversely relative to the receding needle hook.

3. Device according to claim 1, in which the means below the needle guide comprise a stripping member haying a guide portion constructed as angle with its apex facing the take-up positioned laterally of the needle guide.

4. Device according to claim 1, in which the means below the needle guide comprise a stripper member having a guide portion and a slipoff member is provided between the stripper member and the take-up, said stripper member serving for insuring safe motion of the looped textile thread in the guide portion for any kind of yarn.

5, Device according to claim 1, in which the means below the needle guide comprise a stripper member having a guide portion and a slip-off member is provided between the stripper member and the take-up, said stripper member serving for insuring safe motion of the looped textile thread in the guide portion for any kind of yarn, said slip-ofi member being laterally adjustable rela ive to said guide portion.

KARL FRANZ SEIM. 

